Claustrophobia
by SeraphJewel
Summary: Sirius Black has been forced to live in his old house, forbidden to leave it for his own safety. As the days pass he grows desperate for company. But when a visitor shows, there is a surprise in store.


Disclaimer: Yeah, um, don't own Harry Potter or anything related. If you're not a big fan of yaoi, I suggest you read something else.

**Claustrophobia**

His dark eyes stared blankly up at the ceiling, his arms sprawled slack on either side of his bed. He watched a speck of dust travel through the air, floating lazily before his eyes. Inside he was stirring in restlessness, but there was nothing he could do about it. He had paced around every nook and cranny of the house countless times over until he could literally walk through the whole place with his eyes closed. Destroying "precious" family relics had given him a thrill but after a while it too lost its luster. He badly wanted to get out and go somewhere, but he knew how dangerous that would be. He was stuck here, a prisoner in his own house. 

The companions provided weren't exactly the best sort. Sure he enjoyed having Buckbeak around, but he couldn't exactly carry on a decent conversation with a hippogriff. Less unpleasant was the old family house-elf, Kreacher. The little pest hated him, and he hated the house-elf right back. He lashed out at the house-elf a few times but knew better than to take it very far. More often than not he only encountered the house-elf when he wanted something done, or was trying to pry away some heirloom the house-elf was protecting. It all became very dull very quickly.

He got a few letters now and then, mostly from Dumbledore. After getting about the twentieth reminder to not leave the house, he just scanned who the letter was from and then burned it if he decided not to read the contents. Letters from Harry cheered him up; at least he wasn't the only one being restricted. Still, for the most part he spent his days alone, trying everything he could to keep himself sane. Each day he had the fervent hope that someone might visit him in his prison, but it was in vain. So here he was, lying in his musty bed, watching specks of dust float above his head. _This,_ he thought_, is only slightly better than Azkaban._

Hours could tick by into days. The more he stayed in the house, the more he grew to loathe every inch of it. And he had the most horrible feeling that it loathed him just as much, and longed to be rid of him just as he longed to be rid of it. All around were walls, walls, walls, and not a window in sight. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the house seemed to be getting smaller around him with each passing day. It gave him a creepy, chilling feeling to be locked inside this cold place with no way out. Were the walls closing in on him? 

His breathing became more rapid. The ceiling, the walls on either side-- it was all slowly creeping towards him, threatening to box him in forever. He gasped desperately for breath, shocks of fear shooting through his body as he was reminded of his enclosed cell back in Azkaban. He had never wanted to experience that again, and here he was in the same situation. His heart raced to keep up with his quick breaths. His chest rise and fell with each shallow gasp, the only thing piercing through the silence that loomed over him, smothering him just as the walls and ceiling were planning to do.

The clang of the doorbell startled him; he gave a little jump and toppled off the bed. Right on cue, his mother's portrait began screaming away at the intruder. For a moment he stayed on the ground, slightly dizzy from his panic attack. He coughed and slowly got to his feet, taking his time going down to answer the door. After such a long time being alone, even his mother's shrieking was welcome. What he really wanted to do was to rush to the door and grab whoever it was behind it into a vice-like hug, but no. He had been waiting and waiting for someone, _any_one to show up. Now that they were here, it was their turn to wait. 

"Hello, mother, dear," he greeted pleasantly.

"**_Foul, despicable offspring!_****_ Shame of my blood!_**" she howled. "**_Unworthy wretch!_**"

"Lovely to see you too, mother. Shall we see who's come to visit us?"

"**_How dare you defile the house of Black with filth of half-blood?!_****_ You are unworthy to be of my kin, worm! You disgrace, you blood-traitor!_**"

"Do be quiet." He pulled the curtains over her ranting figure and she instantly fell silent. It gave him a strange sort of satisfaction to hear those words from his mother; at least they were from another person, however foul that person was. He quietly opened the door, turning the knob slowly and pulling the heavy door open so to make as little noise as possible.

Standing on the other side with his robes hanging in tatters around his wiry frame was Remus Lupin.

It took everything he had to suppress the urge to scream out his friend's name in delight and nearly crush his ribs in a hug. He made a sign for his friend to be quiet, motioning him to follow. Remus quickly understood and stepped inside, sliding the door noiselessly closed behind him. Sirius led him to the kitchen, nearly bouncing on his heels he was so excited. With the kitchen door shut, Sirius was free to show the full extent of his joy in finally receiving company.

"REMUS!! You have _no_ idea how happy I am to see a new face!!" Sirius crushed the smaller man to him. "I've been so lonely in here; I was this close to going mad! What took you so long? Why hasn't anyone dropped by earlier?"

"S-sirius? I c-c-can't breathe!" coughed the helpless Remus. 

"Oh. Sorry about that." Sirius chuckled in embarrassment and released his friend. "But you see, that's just how lonely it's been in this damn house. I'm so glad you've come." He clapped Remus on the shoulder.

"Yes, I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner, but I had some things of my own to sort out, you know. Couldn't be avoided. It's not like I didn't want to come see you; I just simply couldn't at the time." He smiled softly at the taller man, his smile quickly fading. "God, Sirius. You look awful."

"I've been trapped in this house with no one but a bunch of dead relatives and a deranged house-elf to talk to. It hasn't exactly been a ball." Remus frowned and nodded sympathetically. "Remus, do you suppose I could go outside for a bit? I'll of course be Padfoot for the occasion. I need to get out and get some fresh air before I knock out a wall."

"Well..." Remus looked uncertain. "I really don't think that's such a good idea."

"Remus, I don't think you quite understand. I _have_ to get out of here, _now_! I barely stayed sane in Azkaban, and I sure as hell won't go through anything similar again." Remus stared at his friend, surprised. Sirius had neglected to groom himself; his hair was back to being mangled and wild as it had been when he escaped the wizard prison, and he had that same half-wild, half-fearful look in his eyes. Remus could feel himself giving in.

"All right, but it can only be for a while." Sirius let out a whoop of joy and tore out of the house before Remus could change his mind. "Sirius! Sirius, wait for me!" Remus scurried after his friend before the wizard could get himself into too much trouble. 

Sirius had transformed into Padfoot and was scampering around, barking loudly and dashing back and forth. Obediently, he didn't stray too far from his home, but he didn't even care about that. He was finally out with no walls to restrict him. Remus watched his friend enjoy this momentary freedom with a sinking feeling in his heart. He knew how much Sirius hated being inside after his experience in Azkaban, yet it was necessary for him to remain safe. Some of the neighbors came by to shout at him for all the noise the dog was making. Remus acknowledged them but didn't call Sirius indoors; he just didn't have the heart. 

"All right, Sirius. Inside." The dog gave a pathetic little whimper and nudged the man's knee pleadingly. Remus refused to let himself to cave in again. "Now, don't give me that. We're going back inside before we bother these nice people any further." Remus opened the door and pointed Sirius inside. "Go on, now. You've had long enough." He knew he was being harsh, but they couldn't risk the hideout being exposed. Sirius slumped his shoulders, his ears pressed down to his skull in a sad droop, and slowly padded back into the dreaded house.

Once inside again with the door closed, Sirius changed back to himself, whispering his thanks to Remus before making his way past his mother's portrait. Already he could sense the house moving in on him again. Just those few moments outside had renewed his spirit, and it was as if the house was seeking to crush him once again and kill that spirit. Sirius drug his feet over to the staircase but did not ascend. He rested his hand on the banister, gazing up at the second floor with a chill of foreboding. Remus came up and rested a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I know you don't like this, Sirius, but there's really no other choice." Sirius didn't even bother to grunt in reply. He simply stood there, staring blankly in front of him. His insides were squirming in dread. Remus was right: he didn't like this, but he had no other choice. He definitely didn't want to risk being in _there_ again. "Sirius?" Remus spoke his friend's name gently, questioningly, trying to illicit some type of response. He could see the fear swirling in the taller man's eyes. This forced confinement was probably reminding him painfully of his time in Azkaban.

At last Sirius stirred from his reverie and slowly made his way up the stairs, setting down his feet hard so that each step echoed in the quiet hall. Little clouds of dust were shaken to existence, hovering in the air for a moment before settling back down again. Remus shivered, the sound making him feel the unease of the house. He followed Sirius, knowing his friend was only stalling because he didn't really want to go back. As if drawn by an unknown force, Sirius found himself headed back to his bed. He sank down on the musty seats with his eyes once again fixed to the ceiling. A long, uneasy pause followed. He could see Remus standing in the doorway but did not invite him to sit down.

The walls and ceiling came rushing to meet him. How long was he going to be in this damned house? Would he ever be allowed out again? He took a breath to try and calm himself, but flashes from his time in Azkaban blazed in his mind's eye, and the breathing turned more shallow and rapid. Once the walls found the place they had been in before he went outside, they started their persistent crawl to him. It seemed like they were going faster than before. He could hardly breathe; he had to quicken his pace more. From across the room, he saw Remus's face grow drawn in worry.

"Sirius? Sirius, are you all right? Sirius?" But Sirius could not answer. It was all he could do to keep himself breathing. Faster and faster; he was getting light-headed, and the walls were still closing in. Remus watched, tingling in fear, as his friend hyperventilated. He quickly rushed over to the bed and gazed desperately into the other man's eyes. "Sirius! Sirius, look at me!!"

But Sirius did not turn his eyes. All he could see was the shrinking distance between him and the walls, his cramped cell in Azkaban. There was no way out. Trapped-- can't escape. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, faster and faster.

"SIRIUS!!" Remus shook his friend's shoulders desperately. "Sirius, snap out of it!" He could feel his whole body shaking with fear for his friend. His insides swirled uneasily like a storm. There was a wild fear flashing in Sirius's eyes, and Remus feared he was helpless to do anything about it. "Sirius, please, look at me! Stay with me, understand?" He grabbed the man's head and forced it to turn, locking eyes.

But it was as if Sirius was looking right past him, to the ceiling that was closing in. Now his breath was more like a dog panting and he shook slightly in Remus's grasp.

"Don't you dare black out on me, you hear?" Out of options, Remus pulled back his hand and slapped Sirius as hard as he could across the cheek. His hand stung horribly, but he had at least slowed down Sirius's breathing to a normal level. Remus watched apprehensively, shaking out his fingers. A few tense minutes passed by before Sirius's rapid breathing started to build up again. Remus was bewildered; Sirius, one of the strongest people he knew, was thrown into a panic over being in a room, and there seemed nothing Remus could do to pull him out of it.

"Get me out! Let me out!! Don't keep me in here!" shouted Sirius desperately. "The walls are closing in!" His breathing accelerated to an alarming rate. Remus felt a tear glide down his cheek. What more could he do? Holding to the panicking man's head, Remus brought his closer to the frightened visage.

"Sirius, listen to me. It'll be all right. Do you understand that?" But Sirius was putting all his energy into each breath, and could not answer. Remus held his head still and brought his lips down to caress the other man's. Almost instantly he could sense Sirius had relaxed. A strange, almost _happy_ feeling surged through Remus, but he had to ignore that for the moment and concentrate on his friend. He drew his lips away and observed Sirius. The wizard stared back at him, stunned.

"Remus... I..."

"Are you all right, Sirius?" asked Remus kindly. He tried to ignore how close his face still was to Sirius's. The dark-haired man couldn't find his voice for a long time. Remus's face filled his gaze, and he no longer had that stewing feeling of fear and unease. It was as if Remus's kiss had pushed it all away.

"I'm not sure," was his honest response.

"Are you hungry? I could get you something." He was about to turn away, but Sirius grabbed him and pulled him back. He shook, fearing that if he didn't have Remus to focus on, the walls would start to move in on him again.

"Don't go. You made it stop. Remus, the walls were closing in on me, and-- you stopped it." Remus smiled slowly.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that." There was a short pause, which they filled by gazing into each other's eyes. Sirius kept hold of Remus's arm, aching for that kiss to come again and take his troubles away.

"Remus?" His voice was husky, but he didn't notice. "How long are you staying?"

"There's no way I'm leaving you in this condition." Sirius breathed a sigh of relief, managing to smile. He didn't take any notice of time until Remus tried to move away from him again.

"Don't! Don't leave!"

"I wasn't leaving, Sirius. It's just, I'm getting very uncomfortable standing like this."

"But the walls... they'll come in on me again." Remus felt a need to-- but would Sirius let him?

"No, they won't. I won't let them." To Sirius's surprise, the smaller man climbed up on the bed, pressing his body down on him. His eyes went wide and his breath caught in his throat, he was so caught off-guard by this sudden gesture.

"Remus, what...?"

"I'll stay here as long as you need me," murmured Remus. 

"Okay, Remus. Thank you." Remus smiled, and Sirius felt his lips touched again by the other man's. He knew Remus couldn't stay with him like this forever, but it didn't matter. At the moment, there was only one thing that mattered.

He was no longer afraid.

**End**


End file.
